Name: Shannen Michaelsen
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: Creative Writing and Media Communication Studies
Hometown: Reisterstown, Maryland
Courtesy: Shannen Michaelsen
Her Campus (HC): What are you currently involved in on campus?
Shannen Michaelsen (SM): I’m mostly just involved in The Film Club at FSU, because it takes up all of my time! But I’m an English – Creative Writing and Media/Communication Studies double major.
HC: What is it like to be the president of Film Club here at FSU?
SM: It can be a difficult job, but it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been involved in the club for a long time, so while I have many responsibilities now, it’s much easier as president to sit back and see what the new members create and I love that.
HC: As club president what are some of your responsibilities?
SM: I book rooms for meetings, as well as any other events we have on campus. With the other officers, I plan events like socials, Market Wednesday or our screenings at the SLC. I figure out the broad filming schedule for each semester and plan meetings. I keep track of all the projects we have going on and make sure they’re completed.
HC: Out of all the Film Club projects, which one did you enjoy working on the most?
SM: I think I enjoyed working on Gemini the most. This was a film that I wrote and starred in. We had a great crew on this project and I think we all worked really well together. Melissa Ordeneaux (now Vice President) directed, Kaia Phoenix was cinematographer, and Christie Valentin-Bati (now PR) produced and they’re all really good friends. How well a film turns out definitely depends on the crew. Also, while I usually like to direct my scripts, it was nice to not be in charge on that set. I liked staying involved, but getting to relax a little bit more!
HC: What are some challenges you have faced so far being president?
SM: Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everything we have going on. The officers don’t usually produce our films, because we want to give other members a chance to do that job, but we still need to remain involved in every production and make sure that the film is going smoothly. At the same time, I have to be planning any events we have coming up and plan meetings. I’ve definitely forgotten to do a few important things this semester, because I was too focused on something else, but in the end, if we make a good film, then that’s what matters.
HC: What attracted you to Film Club in the first place?
SM: I’ve always loved film. My dad works in news television, so that’s an industry I’ve been involved in for most of my life and film isn’t too far off from that. In middle school and high school, I made a lot of silly short films with my friends. Obviously FSU has a great film school, but I didn’t necessarily want to go into film as a career. I wanted to keep doing it for fun though. So when I came to FSU, the first thing I looked for at the involvement fair was a Film Club. And I found it!
Courtesy: Shannen Michaelsen
HC: If you could sit down and have lunch with any actor or actress, who would it be and why?
SM: I love Aaron Tveit. He played Enjolras in Les Miserables and he had a TV show called Graceland, but it was just cancelled. For the most part he’s a Broadway actor and theatre is definitely another one of my loves. I bet he’d have a lot of cool stories to tell.
HC: How can one get involved with Film Club?
SM: Meetings in the spring semester will be at 7 p.m. in Union Room 311B. We welcome new members at any time during the semester and if you can’t come to meetings, the best way to stay involved is to join our Facebook group. If you want to watch our films, they’re all at our (Youtube page) or you can come to our premiere on December 7 at 7pm in the SLC where we’ll be showing the films we made this semester!
HC: How has your involvement in the club shaped your FSU experience?
SM: I would say my entire FSU experience has centered on Film Club. I’m more interested in going into the film industry now than I was when I first joined, though I still want to focus on my writing. I’ve made a lot of good friends through the club that I never would have met otherwise, because it really is full of a great, diverse group of people from many different backgrounds and majors. It’s not just a club for film students, it’s for anyone even a little bit interested in filmmaking.
HC: What is your favorite all time film?
SM: I really like Star Wars and Back to the Future. I don’t think I could pick between those two series. If I had to pick one film from each series though, I’d probably go with A New Hope and the first Back to the Future.